Intravenous catheter assembly

ABSTRACT

An intravenous catheter comprises a flexible self-sealing tubular portion adjacent a catheter member. This tubular portion is bendable from a normal axis of the catheter so that a needle may be inserted through the bent over sleeve and then through the catheter member. The other end of the tubular portion is disposed for connection to an intravenous feeding system. The needle, when inserted into the catheter, acts as a shutoff valve of flow from the feeding system until after the catheter has been placed in the vein, whereupon the needle is withdrawn and the intravenous flow is commenced.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Boris Schwartz 400 Park Ave., Paterson, NJ. 07504 [21] Appl. No. 823,739 [22] Filed May 12, 1969 [45] Patented Aug.l7, 1971 [54] INTRAVENOUS CATHETER ASSEMBLY 3,225,762 l2/l965 Guttman 3,459,183 8/1969 Ringetal l28/2l4.4

OTHER REFERENCES Piazza et al. Transactions Amer. Soc. Artific. Inter. Organs Vol, X,Apr. 12, 1964, pp. 136-- 138 l28/2l4.4

Primary Examiner-Dalton L. Truluck Attorney-Ralph R. Roberts ABSTRACT: An intravenous catheter comprises a flexible self-sealing tubular portion adjacent a catheter member. This tubular portion is bendable from a normal axis of the catheter so that a needle may be inserted through the bent over sleeve and then through the catheter member. The other end of the tubular portion is,disposed for connection to an intravenous feeding system. The needle, when inserted into the catheter, acts as a shutoff valve of flow from the feeding system until after the catheter has been placed in the vein, whereupon the needle is withdrawn and the intravenous flow is commenced.

PATENTED AUG! 1 l9?! INVEN'IOR. BUR/5 SCHWARTZ INTRAVENOUS CATHETER ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Fieldof the Invention The field of art to which this invention pertains is in the I general class of Surgery and particularly in the subclass of Dosing devices" and more particularly in the subclass of devices pertaining to lntravenous."

2. Description of the Prior Art There have been many approaches to a system for providing a flexible catheter with means for determining the placement of the catheter in the vein of the patient. Among the patents directed toward said systems is U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,299 to SPADEMAN of Apr. 11, 1967. In this patent, as with many others, the fluid connection is made as a branch portion of the member to which the flexible cannula is attached. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,828,744 to HIRISCH of Apr. 1, 1958 and US. Pat. No. 3,I)l7,884 to DOHERTY of Jan. 23, I962 there are showings of apparatus in which a flexible catheter is used with a needle to enable a penetration of the skin to be made. After the penetrationof the skin vein is entered, after which the needle is withdrawn from the catheter and the intravenous feeding tubing system is connected to a socketreceiving end of the catheter. The removing of the needle from the catheter and subsequent connection to the intravenous feeding tubing system is often made with various amounts of spillage occuring.

It is an object of this invention to provide a catheter with a I short flexible self-sealing tubular member attached to its rear or receiving end. This tubular member at its unconnected end is sized to receive the discharge end of an intravenous feeding tubing system. The self-sealing tubular member isbent at an acute angle to the axis of the catheter whereupon a needle which may be connected to a syringe, a flashback, a flexible container or other source of negative pressure, is inserted through a sidewall of the sleeve then into the hub opening of .the catheter and with a slidable fit is passed into and through the catheter. The needle in its occupying of the passageway of the catheter acts as a shutoff for flow of the intravenous fluid to and through the catheter until this needle is withdrawn from the catheter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The intravenous catheter assembly of this invention includes a length of flexible plastic tubing having one end tapered to assist in the penetration in combination with a needle of the skin of the patient. The other end of the catheter is attached to or is enlarged to form a hub portion which has its interior contoured to provide a tapered entrance into the bore of the catheter. The outer portion of the hub receives and retains a short portion of rubber tubing which is sufficiently resilient to be of a self-sealing nature. The other end of the flexible tubing is sized to receive and retain the discharge end of an intravenous feeding tubing assembly. .A needle has one end attached to or attachable to a syringe container, flashback member or like negative pressure creating device. This needle is inserted through the sidewall of the rubber tubing when the BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I represent a sectional side view of an intravenous catheter assembly of this invention, and I FIG. 2 represents the sectional side view of the assembly of FIG. 1 but with the needle portion of the assembly withdrawn from the catheter and the catheter portion assembled to a tubing end of an intravenous feeding unit. 7,

In the following description and in the claims various details will be identified by specific names for convenience; these names, however, are intendedto begeneric in their applica tion. Corresponding reference characters refer to like members throughout the two figures of the drawing.

The drawings accompanying, and forming part of this specification disclose certain details of construction for the purpose of explanation of the broader aspects of the invention, but it should be understood that structural details may be modified in variousrespects without departure from the concept and principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, it is to be noted that a catheter member 10 is preferably made of a flexible plastic. In the shown arrangement the catheter has a reduced diameter forward portion 12 which has its front or forward end tapered to a thin edge. The catheter has its leftward or rear end enlarged to provide a hub section or end 14. This hub section is preferably rigid or semirigid and it and the catheter portion 12 have their bores sized to provide a sliding fit and passageway for a needle 16, which needle has which closes so as to be self-sealing to the extent it is fluidtight. The tubing 22 is universally flexible so that it may be entered at any intermediate-sidewall portion by the needle when the flexible member 22 is bent at a sharp angle as inFIG. I. The leftward end of the flexible member 22 22 is sizedso as to receive and retain the end of an intravenous feeding tube 24 as shown in phantom outline or may have mounted therein a plastic socket portion' sized to receive the discharge end of an intravenous feeding tubular portion.

It is to be noted that the hub portion 14 is formed with a chamfered or tapered entrance 26 to its bore which provides a guide for the entrance and passage of the needle I6 into and through the passageway of the catheter l2 and hub 14. The

tubing is bent at a generally acute angle to the normal axis of the catheter. The needle, after passing through the rubber tubing, is caused to enter the tapered opening in the hub and to then be slidably advanced to and through the catheter.

There has been chosen a specific embodiment of a catheter attached to a self-sealing flexible rubber connection whose other end is disposed to receive an end of an intravenous tubing. With the catheter there is also shown a needle connected to a means for creating a negative pressure to determine the placement of the catheter in the vein of the patient. This specific embodiment has been chosen for the purposes of illustration and description as shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:

resilient tubular member is preferably of a natural rubber material of about 20 to 35 durometer construction.

USE AND OPERATION The catheter assembly 10 may be made as either one or two members. If made as two members, the hub and catheter are joined in a'fluidtight assembly. The rightward end of the flexible member 22 is sized to snugly engage the exterior of hub end 14 and after assembly thereto as in FIG. 1, this flexible member is bent over at an angle of at least 45. Through the leftward or outwardly facing side of this bent flexible member the needle 16 passes uritil the end of the needle 18 is caused to enter the tapered entrance 26 of the hub 14 after which it, the needle, slidably passes through the bore of the catheter 12 to finally extend beyond the end of the catheter. The point of the needle is caused to protrude an amount sufficient topermit a puncture and penetration of the skin of the patient who is to receive the feeding.

In the preferred embodiment shown the flexible member 22 is made very small and short so that a minimal amount of air is substantial portion, if not all, of its air. After this evacuation the needle and catheter assembly of FIG. I is inserted into the vein of the patient in the normal manner, after which the bottle 20 is released to permit blood from the vein to enter the bottle as an indication of a satisfactory entrance into the vein. An absence of blood, of course, indicates to the attendant that the needle is not in the vein. After the placement of the needle in the vein has been confirmed, the bottle 20 which may still retain a portion of the blood which was drawn and the needle 18 attached thereto is withdrawn from assembly with the catheter l2 and from flexible member 22. The withdrawing of the needle from this flexible member 22 permits the puncture to self-heal or seal at least to the extent of becoming fluidtight. After the needle has been withdrawn, the flexible member straightens out to assume its formed condition as in FIG. 2. The needle, when in the bore of the catheter, acts as a shutoff or flow restrictor to fluid carried in the intravenous feeding tube. After the needle is withdrawn from the catheter, the flow of fluid from the feeding tube 24 is permitted to pass through member 22 and then through the catheter 12 and into the vein of the patient.

The intravenous feeding of the patient as performed with the arrangement of FIG. 2 provides a neat and compact single channel arrangement which permits the taping of the hub 14 and flexible member 22 to the skin of the patient in a conventional manner. If it is desired or necessary to draw a blood sample from the vein of the patient the needle 16 is inserted through the sidewall of the bent over flexible member 22. The end of the needle is then advanced until it enters the bore of the catheter sufficiently to shutoff flow from the intravenous tubing 24.- The aspirating device 20 previously conditioned to permit a negative pressure to be present when the needle is in the catheter is then activated to draw blood from the vein, after which the device 20 and attached needle is withdrawn from the catheter l and flexible member 22.

It is to be noted that the aspirating device 20 may be a small flexible-walled bottle. as suggested, a syringe of conventional construction or a short tubular member having a closed end and providing a small receptacle for the flow of blood from the vein. It is only necessary that the member for receiving the blood be sufficiently translucent to show its presence in the member. The length and diameter of the catheter is merely a matter of selection. The needle used with the selected catheter is sized to slide in the bore of the catheter and the needle is of a length so that when assembled as in FIG. 1 the sharpened end of the needle extends beyond the catheter to act as the initial portion to penetrate the skin of the patient. I

The hub 14 may be a separately formed part of rigid or semirigid plastic or may be of metal. The catheter may be molded to they part, may be cemented in place or may be swaged into a fluidtight connection. It is only necessary that the fluid passageway from the hub to the catheter be fluid tight.

Terms such as "left," right," up," down," front," back," in," out" and the like are applicable to the embodimerit shown and described in conjunction with the drawing. These terms are merely for the purposes of description and do not necessarily apply to the position in 'which the intravenous catheter may be constructed or used. The conception of this and its application is not limited to the specific embodiment shown but departures therefrom may be made within the scope of the accompanying claims and protection is sought to the broadest extent the prior art allows.

l. -A single-channeled intravenous catheter and connection for use withan intravenous feeding system, said catheter and connection including: (a) a catheter member of flexible tubing having a relatively constant bore, said member having a distal end of ta ered configuration and having its other end integral with a hu of enlarged outer diameter and having a receiving bore of a tapered configuratiomthe tapered bore axially aligned with and flow connected to the catheter bore, said tapered bore increasing from a bore diameter substantially equal to the bore of the catheter-connected end to a larger diameter toward the open end of the hub; (b) a length of initially imperforate rubber tubing readily bendable to a sharp angle and having one end connected to the hub in a fluidtight manner so as to extend outwardly therefrom, the rubber tubing being of a composition which is self-sealing at least to the.

extent of being fluidtight at the point of entrance into and through the sidewall of the tubing by a needle of determined diameter and'having a sharpened point, after said needle is withdrawn from said rubber tubing, said tubing being of a size so that its other end is adapted to receive and retain the discharge end of an intravenous feeding tubing system, and (c) a needle removably received within the catheter and extending through the sidewall of said rubber tubing where the tubing is sharply bent so as to be brought in by way of the outer end of the tapered bore in the hub, said needle being of a hollow construction and having a sharpened point on one end and having its other end attachable to a blood receiving and indicating device such as a syringe and the like, the outer diameter of said needle being sized so as to be slidable in the bore of the catheter member and when in said catheter bore providing a fluid shutoff to any fluid flow from a intravenous feeding system connected to the open end of the rubber tubing, said needle further constructed so as to have a determined length so that when the resilient tubing is sharply bent and the sidewall thereof is brought in by way of the tapered opening in the hub and the point of the needle is inserted through said wall of the tubing and is caused to pass through the bore of the hub and bore of the catheter, the point of the needle extends beyond the distal end of the catheter member.

2. An intravenous catheter as in claim 1 in which the catheter member is of a flexible plastic and the hub is of a more rigid plastic to which the catheter member is attached in a fluidtight manner.

3. An intravenous catheter as in claim 1 in which the tubing member is a short length of soft rubber tubing of about 20 to 35 durometer hardness.

4. An intravenous catheter as in claim 1 in which the portion of rubber tubing is attached to the hub by stretching the tubing to slip over the hub and then the tubing is released to be tensioned on the hub by the stretched condition of the tubing. 

1. A single-channeled intravenous catheter and connection for use with an intravenous feeding system, said catheter and connection including: (a) a catheter member of flexible tubing having a relatively constant bore, said member having a distal end of tapered configuration and having its other end integral with a hub of enlarged outer diameter and having a receiving bore of a tapered configuration, the tapered bore axially aligned with and flow connected to the catheter bore, said tapered bore increasing from a bore diameter substantially equal to the bore of the catheter-connected end to a larger diameter toward the open end of the hub; (b) a length of initially imperforate rubber tubing readily bendable to a sharp angle and having one end connected to the hub in a fluidtight manner so as to extend outwardly therefrom, the rubber tubing being of a composition which is self-sealing at least to the extent of being fluidtight at the point of entrance into and through the sidewall of the tubing by a needle of determined diameter and having a sharpened point, after said needle is withdrawn from said rubber tubing, said tubing being of a size so that its other end is adapted to receive and retain the discharge end of an intravenous feeding tubing system, and (c) a needle removably received within the catheter and extending through the sidewall of said rubber tubing where the tubing is sharply bent so as to be brought in by way of the outer end of the tapered bore in the hub, said needle being of a hollow construction and having a sharpened point on one end and having its other end attachable to a blood receiving and indicating device such as a syringe and the like, the outer diameter of said needle being sized so as to be slidable in the bore of the catheter member and when in said catheter bore providing a fluid shutoff to any fluid flow from a intravenous feeding system connected to the open end of the rubber tubing, said needle further constructed so as to have a determined length so that when the resilient tubing is sharply bent and the sidewall thereof is brought in by way of the tapered opening in the hub and the point of the needle is inserted through said wall of the tubing and is caused to pass through the bore of the hub and bore of the catheter, the point of the needle extends beyond the distal end of the catheter member.
 2. An intravenous catheter as in claim 1 in which the catheter member is of a flexible plastic and the hub is of a more rigid plastic to which the catheter member is attached in a fluidtight manner.
 3. An intravenous catheter as in claim 1 in which the tubing member is a short length of soft rubber tubing of about 20 to 35 durometer hardness.
 4. An intravenous catheter as in claim 1 in which the portion of rubber tubing is Attached to the hub by stretching the tubing to slip over the hub and then the tubing is released to be tensioned on the hub by the stretched condition of the tubing. 